Henderson captured the Strikeforce light heavyweight championship
with a rousing knockout against Cavalcante, as he put away the
talented Brazilian 50 seconds into round three in the
Strikeforce “Feijao vs. Henderson” headliner on Saturday at the
Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The two-time Olympian sent
Cavalcante face-first to the canvas with a straight right, moved
immediately to back mount and polished off the champion with heavy
punches on the ground.

“Leading up to this fight, everybody was talking about the belt. I
didn’t think about it until now. It’s definitely going to be an
honor to defend that belt,” Henderson said. “I threw it, landed it
and then jumped on top. He started to recover, but I landed a
couple more good shots.”

Cavalcante had his chances, one of which was golden. He uncorked a
ringing right hand of his own in the first round, as he wobbled and
dropped the iron-chinned Henderson. Feijao closed to finish, but
Henderson, perhaps fighting on instinct, stuck a double-leg
takedown and recovered inside the Brazilian’s guard. The bout swung
in Henderson’s favor in the second, as he scored with a pair of
takedowns from the clinch and neutralized Cavalcante’s vast
offensive arsenal.

“I wanted to be real patient,” Henderson said. “Obviously, I’d have
liked to knock him out in first minute, but he’s a tough guy,
especially in that first round. He caught me with a good dinger in
that first round, but I was hoping I’d catch him in the third or
fourth round and that’s how it happened.”

Less than a minute into round three, Henderson landed the
fight-changing shot he was seeking. Feijao smacked the canvas with
his face and tried to defend himself from a vulnerable position.
However, the onslaught from the former two-division Pride Fighting
Championships titleholder overwhelmed him, as referee Dan
Miragliotta stepped in to stop it.

Strikeforce women’s welterweight champion Marloes
Coenen survived a serious scare from previously undefeated
challenger Liz Carmouche, as she submitted the former Marine with a
fourth-round triangle choke in the co-main event. Coenen sealed the
deal 1:29 into round four, and with that, a dramatic comeback was
hers.

Carmouche bullied the
Golden Glory standout for much of the matchup. A late
replacement for the injured Miesha Tate, she took down, mounted and
punished the seasoned titleholder with ground-and-pound in the
second and third rounds. Coenen looked uncharacteristically out of
sorts off her back, as Carmouche twice moved into a high mounted
position and unleashed relentless volleys of punches and
hammerfists.

Her right eye visibly swollen, Coenen again had to fight from her
back in the fourth round. This time, however, she turned the tide
in her favor. Coenen trapped Carmouche in full guard, snaked her
legs around the challenger’s neck, tightened the triangle choke and
waited for the tapout. Carmouche fought to free herself, but with
no means of escape, surrender became her only option. A reluctant
tapout followed.

According to CompuStrike
figures, Carmouche outstruck the champion by a staggering 221-48
count.

“Liz was whooping my ass,” Coenen said. “I really want to make sure
[I show] how much I respect her. She will be the champ
someday.”

Kennedy Choke Submits Manhoef

D.
Mandel

Kennedy (top) submitted Manhoef.

One-time middleweight title contender Tim Kennedy
submitted the always-dangerous but one-dimensional Melvin Manhoef
with a first-round rear-naked choke. The end came 3:41 into round
one.

Kennedy reached the finish line but had to walk through the fire to
get there. The 31-year-old San Luis Obispo, Calif., native failed
on his first three takedown attempts and absorbed a brutal leg kick
as a result. Manhoef finally succumbed to the takedown midway
through the round, and Kennedy moved to mount roughly 15 seconds
later. After his foe surrendered his back, Kennedy softened him
with heavy punches and cinched the choke. From there, the tapout
was inevitable.

“There was no hidden game plan there. He’s weak off his back,”
Kennedy said. “His takedown defense is very underrated. I think I’m
one of the greater wrestlers in MMA, and he’s ever-improving.”

Afterward, Kennedy set his sights on two men.

“I want to fight. I fight for the fans, and I want to fight the
best,” he said. “If the matchmakers don’t think I’m ready right now
[for a rematch with Strikeforce middleweight champion Ronaldo
“Jacare” Souza], then give me next best guy. Give me Robbie
Lawler.”

D.
Mandel

Masvidal (left) outworked Evangelista.

Masvidal Sweeps Scorecards
from Evangelista

American Top Team’s Jorge Masvidal utilized size, reach and
superior boxing, as he took a unanimous decision and swept the
scorecards from the previously unbeaten Billy Evangelista in a
featured lightweight matchup. All three cage-side judges scored it
30-27 for the Miami, Fla., native.

Masvidal worked off a stinging left jab and fought effectively
inside and out. He attacked Evangelista with a variety of strikes
-- straight rights, leg kicks and knees and elbows from the clinch
-- and scored with takedowns in the second and third rounds.

The 26-year-old Masvidal has won seven of his past 10 fights and
remains undefeated in three career appearances under the
Strikeforce banner.